1. The Field of the Invention
Implementations of the present invention relate generally to headphones. In particular, implementations of the present invention relate to headphones that can be used by a Disc Jockey (“DJ”) to assist the DJ in selecting and playing music.
2. Background and Relevant Art
A DJ is a person that selects and plays music, usually for an audience. Although there are many types of DJs, one of the most popular types of a DJ is a club DJ that selects and plays recorded music for a live audience. The club DJ can select and play music in bars, nightclubs, raves, or concerts. The club DJ can provide music in an arrangement and volume that allows the audience to enjoy and dance to the music. The DJ may play recorded music from a variety of music storage mediums, including compact discs, vinyl records, cassette tapes, or computer media players.
DJs can distinguish themselves in the industry based on their unique music selection, as well as the way in which the DJ mixes music tracks together, or transitions from one song to the next. For example, several techniques used by DJs as a means to mix and blend recorded music together include: beat-matching; phrasing; slip-cueing; beat juggling; scratching; phase shifting; sampling; and harmonic mixing. Each of these techniques can allow the DJ to add a creative and unique style to the playback of recorded music.
In order to mix music tracks, the DJ may use various pieces of music equipment. For example, the DJ may use a sound system for amplification of the recordings. Additionally, the DJ may use a combination of at least two audio playing devices that are connected to the sound system. The two audio playing devices may be coupled with a DJ mixing device that allows the DJ to create a continuous playback of music by alternating from one audio playing device to the other audio playing device. This can allow the DJ to ensure that there are no gaps of silence between the completion of one music track and the beginning of another. Moreover, the DJ can use one or more of the above mentioned techniques, for example beat-matching, to create a smooth and unique transition from one music track to the next.
In addition to the musical equipment discussed above, the DJ may also use headphones. For example, the DJ may use the headphones to listen to a first music track from a first audio playing device while a second music track from a second audio playing device is playing through the sound system. Thus, the headphones allow the DJ to cue the first music track, for example, so the DJ can prepare to smoothly transition from the second music track to the first music track.
Conventional DJ headphones often include stereo over the ear headphones that include left and right speakers. Due to the fact that the DJ may listen to the first music track through the headphones and the second music track through the sound system simultaneously, the DJ may only use one of the headphone speakers. For example the DJ may hold the left speaker of the headphones against the left ear such that the left ear is listening to the first music track through the headphone speaker, while the right ear is listening to the second music track being played through the sound system. In this situation, the right speaker on the headphone may simply hang down next to the DJ's neck, or be propped-up near the top of the DJ's head.